The British newspaper "The Independent" revealed that Rishi Sunak is facing his first real test since his election as prime minister last October, due to tax problems for the head of the Conservative Party, Nazim Al-Zahawi, which is causing an uproar in Britain now.

Al-Zahawi is facing a storm of criticism, as he was forced to settle his tax situation and agree to pay the equivalent of 5 million pounds sterling to the tax office, after he was accused of tax evasion, at a time when Sunak announced that he was not aware that Al-Zahawi had paid a “tax penalty,” explains The Independent.

The Independent quoted Al-Zahawi as saying that he acted properly and in accordance with the law, and that what happened was just "unintentional mistakes", and therefore he rejected calls for him to resign.

Sunak confirmed that Al-Zahawi remained in the presidency of the Conservative Party during the investigation, noting that he had agreed to "cooperate fully."


position after investigation

Writer John Rintoul, in his article in the British newspaper, asked about the nature of the position that the British Prime Minister would take, and would he support Al-Zahawi or expel him from office?

It was he who pledged that his government would adhere to the highest ethical and legal standards in its work and not be like Boris Johnson's government.

Rintoul stated that what makes the matter more ambiguous is that Sunak lacks political experience, unlike most of those who held the same position before him, and he has now contented himself with referring the Zahawi case to his independent advisor to the Prime Minister, Laurie Magnus.

According to Rintoul, Sunak and Magnus need to make sure that Zahavi's tax statuses are now in compliance with the law, and that the Tory chairman's previous "mistakes" were just "inadvertent negligence", as Zahawi asserted.

The writer stated that Al-Zahawi was discussing adjusting his tax status with the tax office and he is an official in the Johnson government, and Sunak confirmed that he was not aware that Al-Zahawi had paid the "tax penalty."


Avoid surprises

Rintoul added that the British Prime Minister also wants to be reassured that he will not be surprised by what might embarrass him in the future regarding the tax status of Al-Zahawi or others, especially since previous ministerial experiences caused great embarrassment to former prime ministers.

The Zahawi case is not the first problem Sunak faces, as the minister, Gavin Williamson, submitted his resignation in November due to allegations of bullying his colleagues, which raised questions about the choices of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak only weeks after he took office.

The minister's resignation came on the back of accusations that he had sent threatening letters to members of parliament and former colleagues, and British newspapers reported at the time that ministers had accused Williamson of behaving in a way that included bullying.

Sunak himself was also recently fined for not wearing a safety belt inside the car, in order to film a clip for posting on social media, and he apologized to the people for that.